Bin Audit: What's in my waste?

A bin audit is a great way to see how much plastic you dispose in your home, school or workplace. You can opt for a comprehensive audit, weighing all the rubbish or go for a simple audit and just count the number of plastic items.

What you need:

Rubber gloves & tongs.

Newspaper or tarpaulin.

Weighing scales.

Record sheet (prepare you own or use our template). To download go to the 'File" menu on the left and click "Download" (formatting will be adjusted ).

Rubbish (from waste and recycling bins).

﻿What to do:﻿

Spread waste onto newspaper or tarpaulin.

Separate waste into different categories such as food/compostables, cardboard, paper, metal and plastics.

Examine all of the items in the plastics category and see how many of each type were collected. Think about how to reduce these items, what alternatives could have been purchased and what could be reused?

A key to Plastic Free July is to be prepared and plan alternatives. In your workplace you may be able to purchase hand-washing liquid in refillable containers, milk in glass bottles and toilet paper wrapped in paper. Schools may wish to encourage "nude food" lunchbox competitions.